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cjvenable's review against another edition
4.0
Really great prequel to the Abhorsen trilogy. Fantastic storytelling and lore from the Old Kingdom universe. Greatly enjoyed it!
caittothelin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
strange_abalone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I couldn’t connect as much with the characters in this book. I also felt the story was very slow and the climax too tame for how long it was and what all happened. Not my favorite of the series, but still a good read overall.
immodest_medusa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thepeppermintfairytale's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
azra7's review against another edition
5.0
When I started listening to the book, I didn't remember at once that Clarier was mentioned as one of the most powerful antagonists in the Abhorsen series. I remembered soon enough, so I was anticipating the moment when everything was about to change. That didn't happen. At least not in the way I expected.
There wasn't a sudden change in Clariel's ambition and she stayed true to her character. Sure, different ambitions arose at the time but those were due to the immediate circumstances. Clariel has always had her mind set on getting what she wanted, from going to the forest to going back to Belisaere, and her determination is seen in not squirming away from dubious opportunities to achieve it.
The end justifies the means, is what is pushing her to the other side of the spectrum, even though it was not for selfish reasons. Clariel displayed indifference towards some things, enough to distinguish her from a typical hero, but not enough to cast her as its opposite. Her showing some made her more real.
In the end, I understood why she chose the path that would lead to her becoming Chlorr of the Mask. It was not necessary to write all that led to it. She became an orphan, deprived of a home, banished, and her Charter bridge severed. It had taken her one step at a time, if she tried to fight it, to resist its allure and satisfy herself with less than ordinary life. Clariel had the strength and will to wield a great power, and who could just choose not to?
There wasn't a sudden change in Clariel's ambition and she stayed true to her character. Sure, different ambitions arose at the time but those were due to the immediate circumstances. Clariel has always had her mind set on getting what she wanted, from going to the forest to going back to Belisaere, and her determination is seen in not squirming away from dubious opportunities to achieve it.
The end justifies the means, is what is pushing her to the other side of the spectrum, even though it was not for selfish reasons. Clariel displayed indifference towards some things, enough to distinguish her from a typical hero, but not enough to cast her as its opposite. Her showing some made her more real.
In the end, I understood why she chose the path that would lead to her becoming Chlorr of the Mask. It was not necessary to write all that led to it. She became an orphan, deprived of a home, banished, and her Charter bridge severed. It had taken her one step at a time, if she tried to fight it, to resist its allure and satisfy herself with less than ordinary life. Clariel had the strength and will to wield a great power, and who could just choose not to?
narteest's review against another edition
4.0
As a huge fan of the Abhorsen books and of Garth Nix I cannot understand why I did not put this on my tbr list earlier!!!
I got a shock too when I saw it on shelves...I hadn't even realised that it had come out yet, but damn it, I want it now!
U P D A T E
Finishing this, I realise that I have missed this world a lot more than I thought. I've said it before haven't I? Garth Nix's speciality is dumping you in a high fantasy world and making it seem like it was nothing more than normal.
Sabriel will always be my favourite book of the series, but I enjoyed reading Clariel's story. I loved her selfishness, her stubborn desire to make it to the Great Forest and to be a Borderer rather than to be trapped in Belisaere to be something she didn't want to be. In Clariel, I see a character who was never meant to be a hero, who was drawn down a path due to her own ignorance and also the lack of foresight in other characters. Everyone in Clariel's story wants something and most of it has to do with using Clariel as a pawn. But they never once think about Clariel and what she wants. Who has the time to think of when really the city is in a state of turmoil? But truthfully, you don't see Clariel's character develop until the moment her parents die. There are some stories that just use the death of the parents as an excuse of bringing pain on their characters and not really using it to further develop their character. But for Clariel, it was a moment which other moments build on, which the moments before it happened, supplement it, and eventually it builds and builds and builds until it cascades over a great waterfall, the thrilling ending to come.
It has been so long since I read a Garth Nix book, I was in truth a bit skeptical, hence why I did not buy it the instant I saw it sitting on the bookstore shelf and went into a bubble of ecstaticness. But...you know, if I walk into a store and see it, I will definitely buy it, because Garth Nix has a hand in weaving a great story using so very simple elements. A good story is one that has a world to live in, a character to feel for, and a change to die for--almost literally for some characters.
I got a shock too when I saw it on shelves...I hadn't even realised that it had come out yet, but damn it, I want it now!
U P D A T E
Finishing this, I realise that I have missed this world a lot more than I thought. I've said it before haven't I? Garth Nix's speciality is dumping you in a high fantasy world and making it seem like it was nothing more than normal.
Sabriel will always be my favourite book of the series, but I enjoyed reading Clariel's story. I loved her selfishness, her stubborn desire to make it to the Great Forest and to be a Borderer rather than to be trapped in Belisaere to be something she didn't want to be. In Clariel, I see a character who was never meant to be a hero, who was drawn down a path due to her own ignorance and also the lack of foresight in other characters. Everyone in Clariel's story wants something and most of it has to do with using Clariel as a pawn. But they never once think about Clariel and what she wants. Who has the time to think of when really the city is in a state of turmoil? But truthfully, you don't see Clariel's character develop until the moment her parents die. There are some stories that just use the death of the parents as an excuse of bringing pain on their characters and not really using it to further develop their character. But for Clariel, it was a moment which other moments build on, which the moments before it happened, supplement it, and eventually it builds and builds and builds until it cascades over a great waterfall, the thrilling ending to come.
It has been so long since I read a Garth Nix book, I was in truth a bit skeptical, hence why I did not buy it the instant I saw it sitting on the bookstore shelf and went into a bubble of ecstaticness. But...you know, if I walk into a store and see it, I will definitely buy it, because Garth Nix has a hand in weaving a great story using so very simple elements. A good story is one that has a world to live in, a character to feel for, and a change to die for--almost literally for some characters.
storyseeker5000's review against another edition
2.0
I had been looking forward to reading this book, but it fell flat. The main character is just a brat. It was hard to feel anything for her and her situation. It became slightly interesting about 200 pages in...a dull read overall.
candacemressler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lesserjoke's review against another edition
3.0
I like a lot of things about this Old Kingdom prequel, but it's objectively a pretty disjointed novel. The first two-thirds paint a fascinating picture of the setting as we've never seen it, both by virtue of being so far in the past -- six hundred years before the start of the original book Sabriel, as per an introductory author's note -- and by being firmly rooted in Old Kingdom cultural life, when previous protagonists in this series have all been outsiders to the land in one way or another. In addition, we find the country in a newly precarious state, full of political scheming and growing unrest against the corrupt and decadent upper class. Even those representatives of the magical Charter are surprisingly toothless compared to the heroes we know will be their eventual successors: the grieving king has effectively withdrawn from ruling, creating an unstable power vacuum that villains conspire to fill, and the legendary Abhorsen has shirked his own hereditary duties to the extent that he views the name as an empty title.
Against that backdrop, a sullen teen arrives in the capital city and finds herself unwittingly drawn into becoming a pawn in the various intrigues. She's scrambling to get a read on the situation collapsing around her and to claw together some shred of personal agency for herself, whilst wanting nothing more than to retreat back to her former home and train to be a simple forest warden. It feels very much of a common flavor with Game of Thrones, particularly the moment early in that other fantasy saga when young Arya Stark witnesses the Lannister treachery against her father and is forced on the run.
The last section of the plot, however, transitions to Clariel's time at the Abhorsen's House, where the creature Mogget (less faithfully bound to service than we've seen him before) gradually lures her into embracing the awful power of Free Magic that he represents. This part is a tragedy of sorts, although it plays off no particular tragic flaw in the title character beyond youthful naivety, and author Garth Nix never really resolves the thematic questions he raises about whether the girl's yearning for social isolation is antithetical to the knitting of Charter Magic / naturally aligns her with Mogget and his ilk. The very ending also seems a bit rushed, with several promising subplots reduced to a final flurry of quick exposition.
The bigger issue, of course, is how a reader is supposed to grapple with Clariel's future identity as a previously-seen antagonist of a different name, which is hinted at throughout the text (and in its original subtitle of The Lost Abhorsen) and then matter-of-factly acknowledged via postscript. I don't think this book works too well as an explanation for her downfall, and the story definitely feels incomplete where it leaves off, even given the further pieces revealed in the next novel, Goldenhand. Clariel's ultimate villainy and steps in that direction here moreover muddy the optics of her asexuality, which is a fairly prominent aspect of her characterization. I'm not sure Nix means to imply a connection between her not feeling sexual attraction and being susceptible to wickedness, but, well, I'm not certain that he doesn't, either. That's the problem.
All in all it's a mixed bag of a book, and while I started this reread and even this review expecting I'd give it a four-star rating, writing out the thoughts above has clarified (pun intended) my reaction considerably. I'd maintain that the volume has its share of strengths, but those are unfortunately balanced out by some genuine issues across the board.
[Content warning for gore.]
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--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
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Against that backdrop, a sullen teen arrives in the capital city and finds herself unwittingly drawn into becoming a pawn in the various intrigues. She's scrambling to get a read on the situation collapsing around her and to claw together some shred of personal agency for herself, whilst wanting nothing more than to retreat back to her former home and train to be a simple forest warden. It feels very much of a common flavor with Game of Thrones, particularly the moment early in that other fantasy saga when young Arya Stark witnesses the Lannister treachery against her father and is forced on the run.
The last section of the plot, however, transitions to Clariel's time at the Abhorsen's House, where the creature Mogget (less faithfully bound to service than we've seen him before) gradually lures her into embracing the awful power of Free Magic that he represents. This part is a tragedy of sorts, although it plays off no particular tragic flaw in the title character beyond youthful naivety, and author Garth Nix never really resolves the thematic questions he raises about whether the girl's yearning for social isolation is antithetical to the knitting of Charter Magic / naturally aligns her with Mogget and his ilk. The very ending also seems a bit rushed, with several promising subplots reduced to a final flurry of quick exposition.
The bigger issue, of course, is how a reader is supposed to grapple with Clariel's future identity as a previously-seen antagonist of a different name, which is hinted at throughout the text (and in its original subtitle of The Lost Abhorsen) and then matter-of-factly acknowledged via postscript. I don't think this book works too well as an explanation for her downfall, and the story definitely feels incomplete where it leaves off, even given the further pieces revealed in the next novel, Goldenhand. Clariel's ultimate villainy and steps in that direction here moreover muddy the optics of her asexuality, which is a fairly prominent aspect of her characterization. I'm not sure Nix means to imply a connection between her not feeling sexual attraction and being susceptible to wickedness, but, well, I'm not certain that he doesn't, either. That's the problem.
All in all it's a mixed bag of a book, and while I started this reread and even this review expecting I'd give it a four-star rating, writing out the thoughts above has clarified (pun intended) my reaction considerably. I'd maintain that the volume has its share of strengths, but those are unfortunately balanced out by some genuine issues across the board.
[Content warning for gore.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog